Synchronizing mechanism



July 19, 1927;

A. D.- TRENOR SYNCHRONIZING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 22. 1922 35% his mom avwam coz v Patented July 1a, 1927'.

UNITED STATES j 1,636,020 PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT D. TRENOR, OF GLOUCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN HAYS HAMMOND, JR., OF GLOUCESTER; MASSACHUSETTS.

SYNCHRONIZING MECHANISM.

Application filed August 22, 1922. Serial No. 583,597.

This invention relates to improvements in synchronizing mechanisms, and more particularly to mechanisms adapted for synchronizing multiple player actions used in automatic musical instruments.

Some of the objects of the present invention are to provide improved means for movmg a plurality of strips in synch'ronism; to

provide for moving the strips at substan-,

' matic player as is necessary to an understanding of the invention.

Referring to the en' bodiment of the invention shown, there is provided a plurality of player actions 10, 11, 12, 13 and i l, driven by a. common source of motive power such as a motor 15. Tnterposed between each of the actions and the motor is a clutch, such as a friction clutch 16 for mechanically en gaging and disengaging the drive motor and the respective action. a

For controlling the clutch 16 associated with the actions 10,-1.1, 12, 13 and 14 there is provided a corresponding plurality of control devices 21, 23, 2%- and which are operated by the player actions. As the con struction of the various actions, clutching means and control devices, are identical, a description of one set will serve for all.

The playeraction comprises two substantially parallel rolls and 31 spaced apart and mounted on shafts 32 and 33 respectively. The shafts 32 and 33 are journalled in a supporting framework 34, and thus the rolls .30 and 31 may rotate freely. A perforated strip 35, of paper or like material, is wound upon the rolls 30 and 31 in such manner that in passing from one roll to the other it passes directly over a fixed tracker bar 36. The tracker bar 36 is supported in the framework 34L in any suitable manner. The tracker bar 36 is provided in the face adjacent to the paper strip 35, with outlet holes including a control hole '37 and a plurality of note holes such as 38, one for each note to be played. Thus the perforations in the strip register with theseholes to control the instrument. The perforations in the strip consist of a series of equally spaced control holes 39 which register in sequence with the control hole 37, and a plurality of series of note holes 10, whose arrangement is in accordance with the music to be played, and which register with the respective note holes 38 of the tracker bar. .a

For. retarding the movement of the roll 30 and thus maintaining the paper strip taut while" unwinding therefrom, there is provided a spring 411 having one end affixed to the framework 34, and the other end. pressed against a suitable disk aliixed to aprotrudlug end of the shaft 32. The other shaft 33 extends outwardly of the framework 34 and through a suitable bearin in an auxiliary framework and into a hearing in a supporting post 46. Intermediate the post 46 and the framework 45 there is pinned to the shaft a collar 47 against which presses a coiled spring 48'.

The clutching means comprises a beveled friction disc50 having an integral hub with a groove5l therein. The disc 5O and its hub is slidahly mounted on the shaft 33, there being provided a suitable keywa y .and tongue to prevent relative rotary motion of these parts. A bracket 52 affixed to the auxiliary framework 45 and having an aperture large enough for thespring 48 and shaft 33, to

pass therethrough but not large enough for the hub of the disk 50 ,serves as a stop to limit the movement of the disk 50. The friction disk 50 engages a driving disk 55 secured to a drive shaft 56, the latter having a bearing in each of the posts 46.

For controlling the clutching means there is provided a bellows 7-0 and a bifurcated arm 71 operated thereby. The bifurcations of the arm 71 engage the groove 51, and movement of the arm thus causes movement of the friction disk 50. The disk 50 is normally held in engagement with the driving disk by the spring 48 acting as a compression spring. The bellows '70 is controlled by means of a suitable electrical valve mechanism 73 which operates to connect the hellows to a suction pipei l leading to a suction inain'75 and a suitable suclnon pump of any desired form.

For controlling the operation of a particular action relative to the other actions, there is provided a bellows 80, whose movable member controls a contact arm 81, formed'of any suitable material which is a conductor of electricity. The bellows 80 is normally held in open position by a retractile spring 82, and is operated by a pneumatic valve mechanism 83 of well known construction. The valve mechanism 83 is connected by means of a pipe 84 to the control hole 37 in the tracker bar 36, and by a suction pipe 85 to the suction main so that when a hole 39 in the paper strip 35 passes the control 1 hole 37 the bellowswill collapse. After the perforation 39 has passed the control hole 37 ,"the'valvemechanism 83 disconnects the suction pipe from the bellows 80 and permitsrestricted entry of air thereto so as slowly to retract the bellows to its normal position, as shown in the drawing, under controlof theretractile spring 82.

The several contact arms 81 are connected together by a common conductor 90. Their normally closed contacts are connected by a common conductor 91 to a battery 92. Their normally open contacts are each connected to one terminalof the respective electrical valve-mechanism 73, whose other terminal is 1 connected by means of a common conductor 93 to the other pole of the battery 92. Thus the valve mechanism7 3 of a particular action is energized by current from the source 92"wh'en the respective bellows 80 is operatedprovided that at least one of the other bellows80 is" in its'normal position. It is understood that the contact arms 81 automatically return to theirnormal positions as illustrated, whenever the associated bellows is retracted. i

The shaft 56 is driven by a common motor 15 the -speed of which may be controlled bly any usual form of speed control as by a r eostat 99. I

In the operation of the form of the invention illustrated, the motor 15 is started and its speed regulated so that the shaft 56 will be rotatin at the desired speed. The shafts33 oft e player actions 10, 11, 12, 13"and 14will be driven at constant speed by the respective clutching means 16. The drums 31 of all the player actions will then berotatin'g at the same speed and the paper strips 35 will be wound upon them. Theoret ically all the paper strips 35 should move over their respective tracker-bars 36 with the same linear velocity, but due to difference in'the stretching of the paper and in the tightness with which it happens to be rolled,this velocity will vary a small amount with each one of the strips 35.

If, for example, the strip 35 of the player action 10 is moving slightly faster than any ofthe others, the hole 39 in the paper 35 will register with the hole 37 in the trackerbar 36. This allows air to enter the pipe 84, which operates the valve mechanism 83 so as to deflate the bellows 80 of the control mechanism 21.

The following circuit will then be closed; the battery 92, conductor 93, winding of electrical valve mechanism 73 of the action 10, normally open contact of the contact arm 81, of the control device 21 (now closed because of the operation of the respective bellows), conductor 91 tofbattery 92; thus operating the valve mechanism of the action 10 and disengaging the driving clutch thereof. The hub of the respective friction disk 50, upon such disengagement, is broughtinto intimate contact with its bracket 52 and the rotation of the shaft 33 and the roll 31 is stopped. Now as each of the other actions not including the last, comes into position where the respective control holes 37 and- 39 match, the associated control device and arm 81 are actuated, and the clutching means 16 disengaged. Then when the last action catches up to the others, the battery supply through conductor 91 is cut oil and all actions are allowed to proceed. They will thus be caused to start synchronously.

It will thus be seen that if any of the actions is in advance of any of the others, all actions in advance will be retarded until the last one has caught up. This operation will take place regardless of which of the actions is in advance, and independent of the number of actions which may be out of step with the others.

The retraction of the bellows 80 is preferably made sufliciently slu gish so that when the last action has caug t up with the others the battery circuit willbe held open a sufficient time to permit the paper strips to move the control holes 39 out of register with the tracker bar control holes 37.

The inventive thought which this application is based upon is broader than the specific embodiment herein described. The scope of the invention is therefor not to be limited thereby, reference being had to the appended claims for that purpose.

lVhat is claimed is 1. An automatic musical instrument comprising player actions for controlling portions of the instrument simultaneously, a common drive therefor, a clutch operatively interposed between the drive and each of the actions, an electromagnet for declutching each of the clutches, and a control device controlled by each of the actions and arranged to actuate the respective clutch provided that at least one other control device is inactive.

2. An automatic musical instrument comprising player actions for controlling portions of the instrument simultaneously, a common drive therefor, a clutch operatively interposed between the drive and each of the actions, an electromagnet for declutching each of the clutches, and a control device periodically controlled by each of the actions and arranged to actuate the respective clutch provided that at least one other control de vice is inactive.

3. An automatic musical instrument comprising player actions for controlling portions 01"- the instrument simultaneously, a common drive therefor, a friction clutch operatively interposed between the drive and each of the actions and normally connecting the drive to the respective action, an electromagnet for declutching each of the clutches, and a control device periodically.controlled by each of the actions and arranged to actuate the respective clutch provided that at least one other control device is inactive.

4. An automatic musical instrument comprising player act-ions for controlling portions of the instrument simultaneously, means for stopping each of said actions including a clutch, a set of contact springs controlled by the respective action, said contact springs including a movable member havmg a normal position and an oft-normal position, the normal contacts of said sets of contact springs being connected together, the movable members of said sets of contact springs being-connected together and the oil-normal contact of each set of. springs being operatively connected to the respective clutch.

5. An automatic musical instrument comprising player actions for controlling portions of the instrument simultaneously, driving means for all of said actions, a normally engaged clutch between each of said actions and said driving means, a pneumatic switch for each of said clutches controlled by the means operatively interconnecting each of said player actions with said driving mechanism, electrical means for controlling said interconnecting-means and a control-device for each of said actions periodically controlled by the respective perforated actuating strip and arranged to actuate the respective interconnect-ing means to disconnect the player action from the driving mechanism provided that at least one other of said control devices is inactive.

7 An automatic musical instrument comprising player actions for controlling portions of the instrument simultaneously and actuated by perforated strips respectively, means for stopping each of said actions including an electromagnetic clutch, a source of electric energy connected to the clutches, and a pneumatic relay connected to be controlled by the perforations in the respective perforated strip, said pneumatic relay in cluding a movable member having a normal position and an off-normal position and including a contact spring normally connected to said movable member and a second contact spring connected to said contact members only when the movable member is in the offnormal position, the normal contacts of all of said pneumatic relays being connected together and to said source of energy, the movable members being connected together, and the off-normal contact of each of said pneumatic relays being operatively connected to the respective clutch.

8. An automatic musical instrument comprising player actions for controlling portions of the instrument simultaneously and actuated by perforated strips respectively, a source of power common toall of said actions, means operatively interconnecting each of said player actions with said power source including an electromagnetic clutch, a pneumatic relay associated with each of said actions and controlled by arow of perforations in the respective perforated strip, each of said pneumatic relays including a movable member, a contact spring normally engaging said movable member, a second contact spring connected to said. movable member only when the movable member is off normal, all of said normal contact springs being electrically connected together, all of said movable members being electrically connected together, and means for actuating any of said clutches when the respective pneumatic relay is oil normal and at least one of the others of said relays is normal.

, In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

ALBERT D. TRENOR. 

